A short guide to importing your vehicle

[Rustbelt 0]

I had posted a question about the whole car import/driver's license/vehicle registration thing a while back because all the instructions I read seemed to indicate that I would need things for any given step that I couldn't get until I'd completed some other step, which itself couldn't be completed without some other step being done first; which seemed very circular and made my head hurt. So I thought I'd give you the timeline I ended up with which I hope will help others! Of course, this is for NY, so it may be different for your state, but hopefully it will give you some idea!

1. Get car insurance. Some insurers will cover you even with out-of-state/country plates for up to a month. We used Erie Insurance, but others will do it too like Geico.

1A. Optional: In NY state, cars not previously insured in NY have to be inspected by the insurance company, which is a 15 minute event where they fill out a form, check it over for damage and take photos of it. You can do this after you import it, but it has to be within 5 days of taking out the policy.

2. Import car. My experience was atypical because the car was originally bought in the US when we lived there before. But regardless, this is your next step.

3. Within a couple of weeks, get to the DMV and a) get your driver's license, and b ) vehicle registration.

4. Get your car inspected for the state.

See? It's really easy when you know how!

Steve's wife.

Edited November 12, 2009 by Steve Treible

[ScooterMac 2]

I wish it was that easy in PA!

Our insurance company won't provide insurance until Spoom has a US drivers liscense, which he can't get til he gets his Social Security card (after the wedding). Arrrrgh.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Glad it went well, Steve. I will add that these directions are useful for someone entering on a CR-1 visa but wouldn't necessarily work for a K-1 who often needs to provide evidence of legal status in the US that is for longer than the 90 days allowed by the I-94 to qualify for a DL and must often wait for their green card or EAD to get a Driver's License - which then impacts on insurance and registration issues. regardless, the information is indeed useful.